Jennifer came into her apartment, and kicked her shoes off. As she headed to her bedroom to change clothes, the phone rang.
She picked it up as she dropped her skirt.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me. I was calling to see if you wanted to grab dinner".
"Oh my gosh, yes. I don't care where, as long as it has alcoholic beverages that will make me forget this afternoon".
"That sounds juicy. How about Sakihana's on 44th and Pearl, in an hour?"
"Meet you there".
They hung up, and then Jennifer changed into some destructed skinny jeans, tall stiletto boots and a purple sweater, and headed out.
***Sakihana's***
"And then he said "I'm your boss, I'm ordering you to testify". I've never been so aggravated. I mean, I think it's insane to get everyone together just so I can invoke my right to not answer".
"And I understand that. Look at it like this. It has to be officially on record that you invoked your right, so in order for them to say that they did everything on the up and up, and that they gave you all the opportunities to answer their questions, they have to assemble everyone, even if you are just going to refuse to answer".
She took a sip of her drink. "I hate it when you're right".
"I know. And I love it that you do".
"And the worst part is, I had to miss a hair appointment with Josephine that I booked 3 months ago, just to go meet with him."
Lindsey chuckled.
"You can't expect a man to understand that".
Jennifer finished her meal and then looked at Lindsey.
"What does one wear to testify before the Senate?"
"Something dressy but not slutty".
"When have you ever known me to dress slutty?"
"I'm not saying you do, I'm saying not to".
"What do I take with me?"
"I don't think you have to take anything with you."
"Do I need to take anyone with me?"
"It might be nice if the head of your law firm goes with you".
"I suppose I could suggest that when the secretary calls with the travel arrangements tomorrow".
"Wouldn't hurt. Worst they could say is no".
Jennifer picked up the check for both of them, and then they shared a cab.
"Thanks for listening to me rant and rave".
"Happy to oblige. Thanks for dinner. Next time's on me".
"Deal".
The cab dropped Jennifer off first, and she headed inside her apartment and locked the door behind her.
She decided to take a bubble bath, so she poured herself a glass of wine, and turned on the stereo in her bedroom and then lit some candles in her bathroom before she sank into the tub.
She soaked for an hour, and then headed to bed, putting all thoughts of Jonathan Hart and the United States Senate out of her mind.
***The next day***
Jennifer was at her desk, working on her next article, when the phone rang.
"Hello, this is Jennifer Edwards".
"Hey, it's me. Listen, I hope you don't mind, but I ran what you told me about the hearing by my boss. And he had some recommendations".
"I don't mind. What does he recommend?"
"He said if you have a calendar to show when you researched the article, take it just in case. it will help establish your credibility".
"Ok, I can do that".
"He also said don't take anything that shows emails or phone calls between you and the source, because they might oust your source that way".
"No problem there, I am refusing to divulge who that is".
"I don't blame you on that end. Also, he said they have the option of televising this nationally, so keep that in mind when you pick your outfit".
"Got it".
"Ok, well I gotta get back to work. I'll talk to you later".
"Great."
She hung up and started compiling her calendar.
Suddenly, the receptionist came over with a couple of deliveries for her.
"Hey Edwards, you got a few presents".
She put a bouquet of flowers and an envelope on her desk.
"Thank you".
Jennifer stared at the flowers. The vase was clear glass, with bubbles in it, and it was filled with pink roses, asters, Peruvian lilies, lime green carnations, and bells of Ireland. It was absolutely beautiful.
She dug for the card, and then opened it.
Lovely to meet you yesterday. Hope our future conversations are on more pleasant terms. Jonathan Hart
She opened the envelope and found a note and a gift card to the salon and spa that Josephine worked at, Prestige.
Since I made you miss your appointment, have a redo and a spa day on me. Call and tell them Jonathan Hart sent you and they will work you right in. Remember, if you don't look good, I don't look good.
Jennifer was impressed.
She looked up the number to Hart Industries and then called it.
"Hello, Hart Industries, how can I direct your call?"
"Hi, Jonathan Hart please".
"I'm sorry, he just stepped into a meeting. May I take a message?"
"Yes. Tell him Jennifer Edwards called and said thank you very much for the deliveries".
"I sure will. And while I have you on the phone, I'm supposed to tell you about travel arrangements. I would have called you already, but he told me to wait till 1".
"Oh, that's ok".
"So, Mr. Hart decided it would be best if you were to fly down Thursday night, so a car will pick you up at your apartment at 6:30 to take you to the airport. You have one room booked at the Four Seasons for Thursday night. You will return back to New York after the hearing Friday".
"Ok, got it. Thank you. Just one question-what about my flight information?"
"That will be sent to you Thursday just before you takeoff".
"Got it. Thank you".
She hung up and got back to work.
Just before she left for the day, she called her dad.
"Hello?"
"Walter, hey. It's Jennifer. Is my dad around?"
"Yes, Miss Jennifer. He's right here".
"Jennifer sweetheart, is that you?"
"Hi Pa. It's me".
"Everything alright?"
"I suppose. Turns out I'm going to be testifying before the Senate on Friday".
"You are? Well, I hope it goes well, sweetheart. I hate that I'll be in Germany, but feel free to stay here if you want".
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I hate that I won't see you though".
"Yeah, I hate it too, sweetheart. But it can't be helped".
"I understand".
"I hope you give those Senators what-for, sweetheart. They have some nerve bringing my daughter before them to take her to task for their misdeeds".
"I agree. I plan to invoke my right to not divulge".
"There's a reason why you're my favorite daughter. It's because you are smart".
"I'll take it. I love you, Pa".
"I love you too".
They hung up and then she called and booked her spa day for Thursday.
Afterwards, she put a time-off request in for an appointment Thursday afternoon, and left a note on Jeff's desk that she was testifying before the Senate on Friday, and then headed home.
***Thursday***
Jeff had been more than kind, and told Jennifer to take the whole day off on Thursday to prepare for Friday.
She headed to Prestige around 10, and checked in.
"Hi, I'm Jennifer Edwards. I'm here for a massage and a hair appointment with Josephine".
"Yes ma'am. We have you down for those services. Did you want to do anything else? Your gift card still has a hefty balance".
"How much?"
"It had $2000 on it, and so far, you have spent $500".
"What? Wow. Ok, well, what else will I have time for?"
"We have a package where you get an hour long massage, an hour long facial, and a mani/pedi. If you did that, you will be finished just in time for Josephine. And if you aren't, you can always do the mani/pedi after your appointment with her".
"Ok, that sounds great".
"Ok, you can come on back, and I'll get you set up with a robe and slippers".
For the next 2 hours, Jennifer was kneaded, rubbed, oiled, and totally relaxed. By the time her facial was finished, she was basically in a trance.
She picked a sparkly neon purple for both her fingers and toes, and then headed to see Josephine.
"Hi, I'm Jennifer Edwards".
"Yes, wasn't I supposed to see you a couple of days ago?"
"Yes, I apologize. My boss overrode my decision to leave early".
"No worries, it happens. So, what are we doing today?"
She unclipped her hair and sat down in the chair.
"So, I want to redo my color, because it's faded. And I want to trim it. And an eyebrow wax".
"You got it".
Josephine worked her magic, and by the time she was finished, Jennifer looked about 10 years younger.
"I cannot thank you enough".
"You're welcome. Your color should last about 8 weeks, so come back when you're ready for a re-dip".
"I sure will".
She headed home and started packing her suitcase.
She decided on her outfit for the next day, and then finished packing. She had just put it by the door when she heard a knock.
She went and opened it.
"Hello. I'm here to pick up a Jennifer Edwards".
"I'm Jennifer Edwards".
"Hi, I'm Clayton. I'll be transporting you to the airport this evening".
"Thank you. I'll be down in just a moment".
"Certainly. Can I take your bag for you?"
"Please."
She quickly through a tote bag together and then filled her Yeti cup and grabbed her purse and headed out the door.
She found Clayton putting her bag into a black limousine.
He opened the door for her, and she climbed in and found herself looking straight at Jonathan.
"Hi".
"Hi…what are you doing here?"
"Well, now what kind of boss would I be if I let you just get hammered with questions by the Senate all by yourself? I'm the one making you go, so it's only right I accompany you there".
"Thank you, I appreciate that".
"You're welcome. My lawyer, Owen Grant will join us tomorrow. He's just going to be there to object if they ask you anything out of bounds".
"I see".
"How was your spa day?"
"Wonderful. Thank you".
"You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it".
They had a quiet ride to the airport, and then Jennifer spoke up.
"So, your secretary told me that I would be told what the flight information was before my flight, but she never called".
"She was under the impression that you were flying commercial. You aren't. We are flying on my plane".
"I see".
He couldn't help but notice her outfit. She was wearing destructed skinny jeans, a bright blue sweater set, and some brown Uggs.
He didn't know when he had ever seen a woman make a normal outfit look so damned sexy.
She was checking out his outfit too. When she saw him the other day, she had noticed his tailored Italian suit and expensive Italian dress shoes. But today, he was wearing tight jeans, a black sweater and black suede loafers.
Get a grip, Jennifer, he's your boss.
They pulled up to the airport, and parked.
Clayton came and opened the door for them, and they climbed out.
A man with blonde hair and tan skin was standing at the bottom of the steps.
"Hey Jack".
"Howdy!"
"Jack, this is Jennifer Edwards. Jennifer, this is Jack Anderton, my pilot".
"Hi, it's lovely to meet you".
"Likewise, ma'am".
"Jennifer, you can go up and get comfortable. I'll be up in a minute. I have to talk to Jack about the flight plan".
"Alright".
She bounded up the steps and walked inside.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Jack looked at Jonathan.
"Well, damn, she's a looker! Where'd you meet her?"
"She works for me".
"And things between the two of you are…?"
"Strictly business".
"Mind if I take a shot?"
"Sure, go right ahead".
"Cool, cool."
"Ok, so she and I have some business to attend to in Washington tomorrow. I'll keep you updated if we have to stay over".
"Got it."
"And I got you a room at our hotel for tonight as well".
"Thanks, I appreciate it".
Jonathan and Jack headed up the steps and Jack disappeared into the cockpit.
Jonathan went and got comfortable next to Jennifer.
"Ok, so since it's late, I figured you hadn't eaten yet. So, we have snacks we can have on board, or we can go eat somewhere in D.C. after we land".
"I had some crackers while I was packing. I'm sure I'll be hungry when we land though".
"Perfect. There's a pizza place that I've been to a few times that's really good, and there's an excellent steakhouse just down the road from our hotel".
"Great".
He showed her how to recline her seat, and then turned on the tv.
They had a pretty easy flight, and she read a magazine some while he watched tv.
When they landed, they headed down the steps and got into the car, and then waited for Jack.
He came and joined them in the limo, and they headed to the hotel.
Jonathan got them all checked in, and then they headed up to their rooms.
They all agreed to meet at the lobby in an hour, and Jack got off on his floor, while Jonathan and Jennifer headed up to theirs.
When they got to their rooms, they realized they were adjoining.
Jennifer got settled, and tried to relax a bit, before heading down to the lobby to meet Jonathan.
Jonathan made some phone calls and then headed down to the lobby.
He and Jennifer arrived at almost the same time.
Jack came and joined them, and they decided to head to the pizza restaurant Jonathan knew about.
They took a cab which was like a van. Jonathan took the single seat in the very back, and Jennifer and Jack took the seats in the middle.
"So Jennifer, as it turns out, I'm in New York a lot. And I was wondering if you would be willing to have dinner with me sometime".
"Sure, I'd like that".
"Great."
She took out her wallet and gave him one of her business cards.
"Perfect. I'll call you in the next week or so".
They got out at the pizza place, and Jennifer noticed that Jack didn't even hold the door open for her or anyone else.
They were seated, and started looking over their menus.
Jonathan and Jack both ordered a Michelob light, while Jennifer ordered a white zinfandel.
Jennifer had decided on a small salad and a personal veggie pizza.
"Jack, want to split a Meat Lover's with me?"
"Sure".
"Jennifer, want to join in with us?"
"No thank you, I'll just get a personal veggie pizza and a salad".
"What? Come on, veggies don't belong on pizza".
"Excuse me, yes they do".
She took a sip of her wine.
The waitress came back and took their orders.
"I would like a personal pizza, with a cauliflower crust, veggie supreme add artichokes, and a small chef salad with French dressing on the side".
"And we want a large meat lover's pizza on a real crust with all the meats and absolutely no veggies".
"Ok, I'll put this in and be right back".
"Thank you".
Jack got up and headed to the bathroom, and on the way back, stopped to talk to a brunette at the bar.
Jennifer noticed, but didn't say anything. Instead, she reached over and removed her business card from his jacket pocket and put it back in her purse.
A few minutes later, he came back to the table.
Jack tried to engage her in conversation, and she made it clear with her one-word answers that she wasn't interested in talking to him.
She got up and excused herself to head to the bathroom.
Jack leaned over to Jonathan.
"Is she ok?"
"She didn't say anything was wrong".
"She was perfectly fine in the cab here. I asked her out and she said she wanted to go".
"You asked her out in the cab?"
"Yeah, and I told her I would call her sometime next week".
"And then you came here and got up to go talk to that other girl".
"Wait, you saw that?"
"I did. And I'm pretty positive Jennifer did too".
"Oh man. I was hoping she wouldn't see me talking to her. I was just trying to have some fun while I was here in town, you know, no strings…"
"I understand. But think about how Jennifer feels. If she was looking forward to going out with you, now she thinks you weren't looking forward to going out with her."
"You're right."
Jennifer came back to the table, followed by the waitress.
"So, are you nervous about tomorrow?"
"A little. More than anything, I think it's a colossal waste of time".
"Fill me in, what's going on tomorrow?"
"I have to testify before the Senate".
"Whoa, heavy stuff. Why are they interested in talking to you?"
"Do you read much?"
"No".
"Well, I work for The New York Times. And I published an article, that mentioned that some of the Senators aren't being very forthcoming with how tax dollars are being spent. And they got their panties in a wad and want to ask me some questions".
"You women's libbers are all the same."
Jennifer was flabbergasted.
"Excuse me?!"
"It's just, the women's lib era ruined everything. Instead of women staying at home where they belong, they had to go to work. And then they had to demand equal rights and equal pay, but they don't deserve equal rights and equal pay. If you had become a housewife, the Senate wouldn't even know you exist".
Jennifer signaled the waitress.
"Yes ma'am?"
"Can I have a to-go box for my pizza and a to-go container for my salad please? And a large to-go water".
"Yes ma'am."
Jack wasn't even paying attention, he was focused on the basketball game on the tv.
Jonathan leaned over to Jennifer.
"Are you ok?"
"I'm fine, I just suddenly lost my appetite", she said curtly.
As soon as the waitress brought her the to-go boxes and the to-go water, she boxed up her dinner, pulled a $20 out of her purse and threw it down, and then stood up.
"I'm going to catch a cab back to the hotel. I'll see you later".
Jack turned back towards them when the game went to a commercial, and was shocked to find Jennifer gone.
"Where did Jennifer go?"
"Jack, you really have no clue about women".